Giant panda
Quick facts
- In 2004, a survey counted 1,600 pandas in the wild - 40% more than were thought to exist in the 1980s
- An adult panda can weigh about 100-150 kg and grow up to 150 cm
- Pandas have the digestive system of a carnivore, but they have adapted to a vegetarian diet of bamboos
- A panda may eat 12-38 kg of bamboo a day
- The panda cub is 1/900th the size of its mother, one of the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother's size
- Pandas are good tree climbers
- Pandas are the only bear that do not hibernate
- When breeding, pandas require at least 30 km² to support them over the short term
The giant panda is perhaps the most powerful symbol in the world when it comes to species conservation.
In China, it is a national treasure, and for WWF these animals have a special significance since it has been the organization's symbol since it was formed in 1961.Learn more about this amazing species!
About the Panda:
- Where do they live?
- How many pandas are alive today?
- What do they eat?
- How do they breed?
- How does a baby panda grow?
- Physical characteristics
- Panda image gallery
- Panda's history timeline
Download & print:
- Giant Panda Factsheet [pdf, 732 KB]
- Articles and reports on pandas
Emblem of hope for a nation and global biodiversity
| Common Name |
Giant panda; |
|
| Scientific Name | Ailuropoda melanoleuca | |
| Habitat | Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests | |
| Location | Southwest China (Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan Provinces) to the east of the Tibetan plateau. | |
| Status | ||
| Population | Approximately 1,600 individuals in the wild |
Background
View the panda photogallery. From there you can send panda ecards to your friends and download desktop wallpapers...
© WWF-Canon / Susan A. MAINKA
© WWF-Canon / Susan A. MAINKA
Over 50 reserves created
By mid-2005, the Chinese government had established over 50 panda reserves, protecting more than 10,400km² and over 45% of remaining giant panda habitat.
However, habitat destruction continues to pose a threat to the many pandas living outside these areas, and poaching is a further problem.
Currently, only around 61% of the population, or about 980 pandas, are under protection in reserves. As China's economy continues its rapid development, it is more important than ever to ensure the giant panda's survival.
WWF on the ground
WWF has been active in giant panda conservation since 1980, when it supported U.S. scientist Dr. George Schaller and his Chinese colleagues in field studies in the Wolong Nature Reserve.
WWF was the first international conservation organization to work in China at the Chinese Government's invitation.
More recently, WWF has been helping the government of China to undertake its National Conservation Programme for the giant panda and its habitat.
This programme has made significant progress: Reserves for this species cover more than 16,000 km² of forest in and around their habitat. A survey (released in 2004) revealed that there are 1,600 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.
Why is this species important?
Saving the panda is not just about saving a cute animal. The panda is an amazing species, but above all it is the symbol of one of the most important regions in China: the Yangtze Basin.The survival of the panda and the protection of its habitat will ensure the quality of life of millions of people living in the area. Panda habitat is found at the top of the Yangtze Basin, an ecoregion shared by both pandas and communities who have utilized the region's natural resources for millenia.
The Basin is the geographic and economic heart of China, and is one of the critical places for biodiversity conservation in the world. Its diverse habitats contain many rare, endemic and endangered animal and plant species, the best known being the giant panda.
Economic benefits derived from the Yangtze Basin include tourism, subsistence fisheries and agriculture, transport, hydropower and water resources.
This is why the survival of species, such as the panda, and the protection of these areas is so important. It is the only way we will guarantee that the populations living in the region will continue to reap ecosystem benefits for many generations.
How you can help
What are the main threats to giant pandas?
The major factors disturbing panda habitat today are:- conversion of forests to agricultural areas,
- medicinal herb collection,
- bamboo harvesting,
- habitat fragmentation,
- poaching,
- and large-scale development activities such as road construction, hydropower development, and mining.
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